


To See You Again

by UsaChan1997



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Action & Romance, Adrinette, Drama & Romance, F/F, F/M, Fluff and Angst, LadyNoir - Freeform, Marichat, Post-Canon, Reveal, ladrien
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-19
Updated: 2019-04-30
Packaged: 2020-01-16 16:06:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,878
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18524950
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UsaChan1997/pseuds/UsaChan1997
Summary: All it took was one false move. One mistake. One time was enough for Gabriel to discover one of the heroes of Paris in his son’s room. And after that? Adrien is missing. Chat, too, of course. With the Black Cat Miraculous in the hands of the enemy and secret identities in danger of being exposed, how can Marinette and her friends confront their longtime enemy and his new catastrophic powers?





	1. Prologue: Into the Snow

“Pound it!”

Chat Noir grinned in response to his lady’s triumphant smile as they bumped fists. With the akumatized victim safe, the two of them watched the ladybugs revert the damage to the city against a backdrop of gathering October clouds. Strangely, the weather had predicted snow, and it was certainly chilly enough.

Standing next to his longtime partner and having her to himself for once sparked waves of nostalgia for Chat—he didn’t mind the other heroes, he appreciated them, even, but he couldn’t deny occasionally pining for simper days. “This makes four years, Bugabo,” he hummed. “Four years ago, we teamed up for the first time against Stoneheart.”

“Really, it’s been that long?” Ladybug mused, gaze fixed on the horizon. There was a certain aura surrounding her these days, a competence and control that hadn’t been there before. Seeing her resolute figure against the skyline sent a pang of longing through the young hero. In spite of his better impulses, and her refusal to reveal her true identity, Adrien was still very much in love with her. Contrary to Plagg’s insistence and his own suspicions, time hadn’t erased his schoolboy crush. Instead, it had molded it into something deeper, something substantial.

“Aw, don’t tell me you forgot our hero-versary, that’s paw-sitively heartbreaking,” Chat offset his mood by fake-pouting, puffing out his cheeks and making a show of his faux-disappointment. But instead of the expected reaction—a dry laugh, a roll of the eyes—Ladybug moved closer. He flinched. “Woah, what—?”

“Stay still and close your eyes,” she instructed. “No peeking.” Chat reluctantly obliged, his heart picking up speed at her closeness, at the warmth they now shared. Faintly trembling, he suddenly felt soft cashmere on the back of his neck. Curious, he cracked open one eye to see Ladybug knotting the pale green scarf affectionately, brushing the evening’s first few snowflakes off his shoulders for good measure before catching his little stunt.

“I said no peeking!” She scolded.

“Ah, I’m sorry, Milady! I was so surprised I couldn’t help but look.”

Ladybug softened at that. “Ha. I got you, Minou,” Her eyes were full of mischief. “Happy hero-versary. Antics aside, I couldn’t ask for a better partner.”

Even as the snowfall grew heavier, Chat felt filled with heat. “Ladybug… this is…” tears stung at the corners of his eyes. “It’s beautiful, thank you.”

He brushed a kiss on the back of her hand, noting the rosy hue of her cheeks. Possibly from the cold. God, he hoped it was something else. “Did you make this yourself?”

“Yeah,” she replied, a bit shy. “I hope it turned out well.”

“It’s perfect.” Chat admired the intricately woven fabric. If he didn’t know better, he’d have thought it the work of a professional. “Are you into fashion design, Milady?”

Ladybug jerked back like she’d been struck. “Um, no! I-It’s not like I like fashion. Certainly not, erm, designing and stuff. Hobby is just my knitting! I mean, knitting is just my bobby—a hobby of mine.”

“Seriously?”

Ladybug nodded frantically. “Actually, I had some help from… a friend! You know Marinette Dupain-Cheng? She gave me some, um, pointers. So, it’s not a big deal. But I don’t, um, dislike fashion?”

Chat narrowed his eyes, quizzical. It was unusual to see Ladybug so flustered. And who knew she was so close with Marinette? Ha, maybe those two were rubbing off on each other a bit. “Ah, I see. How long have you known Marinette—?”

His question was interrupted by the flash of her miraculous. “Ah, time’s up. I have to go!” she swung her yo-yo in preparation for a hasty exit.

“Milady, wait—”

“Sorry, Chat.” Before he could stop her or even protest, Ladybug disappeared into the snow.

“Hah,” Chat, rather, Adrien, let out a huge sigh, his gloved hands moving up to the bow she’d delicately tied, making sure not to let his claws catch in the fabric. He found himself nuzzling into the fluffy material, breathing in her scent of jasmine, linens and freshly baked bread.

Wait, bread? Adrien sniffed again. This particular smell was somehow familiar. It was the smell of late-night balcony conversations, hot cocoa on tiring days, lemonade in the summer. It was playing Mecha Strike III and awkward dad jokes and a feeling of family Adrien hadn’t felt since his mother’s death. On instinct, Adrien checked the inside corner of the scarf, and found the three tiny initials his intuition told him would be stitched there. MDC.

Ladybug had mentioned Marinette giving ‘pointers’, but this was uncanny. Even if Ladybug had made the scarf at the Dupain-Cheng bakery, surely this scent wouldn’t be so prominent. And the signature, it would be odd to sign a scarf that wasn’t her own creation. Was it commissioned? An oversight? It didn’t make sense. Unless…

Adrien extended his baton, mind racing as he stole across rooftops, his cheeks numb from the cold and his adrenaline pumping furiously. He moved with practiced ease back toward home, toward his bed. Maybe he was exhausted. Overlapping two people he felt close to, imagining connections where there were none. He could sleep this off and rethink it with a clear head in the morning. Marinette couldn’t possibly be his Ladybug.

 Could she?

Adrien’s thoughts were a mess as he made it to the Agreste manor, avoiding the security cameras with practiced ease, perching at his window. He’d kept it unlocked as usual, sliding through and tossing the scarf on his bed. “Plagg, claws—”

CRASH.

Adrien’s eyes snapped to the doorway, where his father stood, slack-jawed, a broken teacup at his feet. For a moment, neither of them moved a muscle, staring at each other in silence.

“Chat Noir.” Gabriel’s voice was like ice.

Step back, Agreste, Adrien screamed internally. Get out of here! But his body wouldn’t obey. His father couldn’t know. If he found out, Adrien would never leave this house, this cage, again.

“Huh,” he rasped, inching ever-so-slightly toward the window, toward freedom. “Seems I have the wrong house. My a-paw-logies for this accident, sir.”

But Gabriel didn’t seem to buy it. He tapped a button on his smartphone and the room was bathed in red emergency lighting. Chat leapt, but before he could escape, bars slammed down over the window. “An accident, hm?” Gabriel took a step closer. “I don’t think I believe you, vermin. Now, where is my son?”


	2. Without a Trace

On Monday morning, Marinette Dupain-Cheng looked like the holder of the raccoon miraculous. “A cute raccoon-heroine,” Alya teased as they took their seats for first period, “but a trash-panda nonetheless.”

She couldn’t help it, though. The last four days had been a stressful blur of sleepless nights and hurried assignments. She busied herself, in part, to avoid her feelings. After she’d given her present to Chat Noir, she couldn’t stop thinking of the implications. Was such a gift crossing a line? She had fought her hardest throughout her high school years to keep things professional between them, to protect the identities of herself and her comrades as per the traditions of the Guardians. But she couldn’t deny it anymore—she loved Chat Noir. Even if that was a betrayal to her feelings for Adrien, to her loyalty to Master Fu, she couldn’t bear to keep deceiving him.

So, her scarf had been a hint, as much as it was a thank-you. She had wanted to tell him outright the moment she gave it to him, but instead, fear and force of habit pushed that hasty lie into existence, leaving her humiliated as she swung into the coming snowstorm.

But maybe, she hoped, he would figure her out. They could discuss it like the adults they had become. Chat had always been forthright with his feelings. It was time for her to do the same. Seeing him again was a moment she was both anticipating and dreading.

But she never got the chance to confront those emotions. Since the Day of the Scarf, Chat Noir was nowhere to be found. He didn’t show up for patrol, didn’t appear at her balcony as he often did to check on her civilian self.

 _It’s only a couple days,_ she told herself as she rested her chin in her hands. _He’s probably got a cold._

“Marinette,” Alya’s voice was firm as she waved a hand in front of her friend’s face, snapping her out of her trance. “You okay?” All Mari could manage was a troubled look and a slight nod, a fact that wasn’t lost on Alya. “Is it because Adrien’s absent?” she asked.

“He is?” swiveling to see the empty seat behind her, uneasiness took hold of Marinette’s stomach. Odd. Maybe Adrien was down with the same bug as Chat.

“This is a first,” Alya chuckled. “Usually, you’d be the one crying to me about Adrien’s wellbeing. But you didn’t notice he’s been gone?” She leaned closer, keeping her whisper as discreet as possible. “Has patrol been rough lately?”

“N-No,” Marinette scratched the back of her neck, trying to make her smile convincing. “I’m a pro, after all.”

But Rena Rouge, master of illusion, saw right through her. “Marinette,” she began, placing a protective hand on the smaller girl’s shoulder. “I get that you’re the best in the biz, independent. But you’re not alone in this anymore, remember? All you need to do is ask and one of us will cover for you.” Her gaze drifted to the front of the class where Chloe Bourgeois seemed to have taken notice of their whispering. The three exchanged a subtle nod. “The point is,” Alya continued. “We’re have your back. Not to mention your _purr_ ince charming—”

“Alya, stop.” The command came out a bit harsher than she meant, and Marinette’s hand flew over her mouth in shame. “Sorry,” she let out, massaging her temples. “It’s actually… about Chat.”

Alya furrowed her brow. “You couldn’t tell him.”

Marinette went red. “Not… exactly. He seemed happy about the scarf, but… I clammed up. And I haven’t seen him since then.”

“Seen who, Adrien?” The girls sprang apart in a panic as Nino slid into his seat behind them. “Alas, it seems love must wait one day more.”

“Hey, quit being nosy,” Alya scolded, leaning over to peck his cheek.

Marinette felt a twinge of guilt. Alya and Chloe finding out her identity had been entirely accidental, but both were sworn to secrecy, even from their closest loved ones and other part-time heroes. Keeping Nino in the dark was necessary, but it led to many omissions, lies and half-truths. It must have been hell for Alya, but when Marinette had offered a tearful apology after the reveal, her friend merely her tightly in response. “It’s okay. You won’t be alone anymore,” she’d repeated. “It’s okay. You’re not alone.”

“It’s weird, dude.” Marinette forced herself to focus on the topic at hand, on Nino’s puzzled expression. “He hasn’t answered any of my messages in, like, three days.”

“Do you think he has a long photo shoot or something?” Alya offered.

Nino shook his head. “Don’t think so. I’m totally used to him getting grounded or jetting off to Spain for modeling stuff—even when he’s not allowed, the man’s an expert at covert communication. This time, though? Silence.”

“Hm. Maybe we should call Rena Rouge and Carapace to sniff out his trail,” Alya winked at her boyfriend. “Have you checked The Fortress?”

“Ridiculous. Utterly ridiculous.” The three friends did a double-take at the sound of Chloe’s voice as she sauntered up, taking the empty chair and not pausing to register their stares of disbelief. “I should have known you three wouldn’t be any help. No matter, I dropped by the Agreste Mansion myself yesterday after Mother stopped receiving updates on Gabriel’s new swimsuit collection. No answer.”

“His dad is gone, too?” Marinette’s stomach sank.

“From the outside, it seems like everyone’s gone. No Nathalie. No Mr. Gorilla. Maybe they’re visiting Japan again with the Tsurugis.” Chloe said the last bit with a hiss and a sour face. Marinette couldn’t blame her.

“I hope they’re all okay,” Marinette clenched her fist as the first bell rang, sending their little group scattering for their assigned places.

  
~~  
“Marinette.” Not twenty minutes into the first lesson, Tiki poked her head out from her owner’s purse, looking distressed. “Something is wrong. I feel like something has changed.”

“What do you mean, Tiki?” Marinette whispered.

“I… I don’t know, exactly.” Tiki shuddered. “The energy that connects all Kwamis, the feeling of balance… It’s wavering. We need to see Master Fu.”

“Sounds serious,” Marinette bit her lip. “Do you think Sass would know anything?”

“He is the most sensitive,” Tiki confirmed. “Maybe we can—”

“Marinette!”

Teacher and class alike broke into confused chatter as a panting Luka Couffaine burst through the double doors and rushed right up to Marinette’s desk, face flushed and wearing a desperate expression.

“Luka?” Mari squeaked at his unusually forceful demeanor. “What’s wrong?”

“Mr. Couffaine,” Ms. Bustier’s voice was stern, but Luka didn’t seem to register it.

“Sorry, Madame. Marinette, we need to go right away.”

A chorus of ‘oooh’s swelled from the crowd, and Marinette’s whole face matched Luka’s in a matter of seconds. Ignoring the incredulous stares of her classmates and the curious ones of her friends, she gathered her things as quickly as possible and fled the room at Luka’s heels.

“Was that really necessary?” she hissed, trailing him down the front steps and toward his car. “It must be urgent, but—”

Luka stopped, turning to face her once more. “Have you seen Chat Noir lately?”

Marinette blinked. “Chat? Well… no. He’s been MIA lately.”

“I was afraid of that.” Luka looked apologetic, running a hand through his dark, messy hair. Bedhead, it looked like. “I rushed over becuase Sass told me he sensed a shift in the bond between Kwamis. Much like what happened when Nooroo became actively affiliated with Hawkmoth.”

“No.” All the color drained from Marinette’s cheeks. “Does that mean… Chat Noir…?”

 

**Four Days Earlier**

  
“Where is my son?”

Adrien didn’t know what to say. As strict as his father was day-to-day, he’d never seen such pure hatred in his eyes. It turned his blood to ice.

“I can help you find him if he’s missing,” Chat offered with a strained smile. “Please, disengage the security system and we can talk this out.

For a moment, Gabriel made no move, no response. His eyes were fixed on the shattered teacup that lie between them. The only sound Chat could focus on was the flashing of his miraculous, a veritable ticking time bomb. Each flicker of the paw pad sent the panic in his gut spiking exponentially. “Fa—Monsieur Agreste,” he pleaded. “Please. I need to leave so I can transform back. Secret identity, and all that.”

“That,” Gabriel said slowly, moving to draw Adrien’s foil from the fencing gear hanging by the door, “will not be necessary.”

“Hold on, you don’t want to fight—?”

In answer, Gabriel lunged, and Chat was barely able to extend his baton in time to block it. “Good reflexes. For a child.”

“You’ve got some moves yourself, for a shut-in,” Chat quipped, rolling out of the way of the next strike. “But you really shouldn’t do this.”

Gabriel was unfazed, quick to attack again with forceful, precise swings. Even with the adrenaline of the fight, Adrien was tired from the night’s patrol, he could barely keep up. He needed to grab his father’s smartphone and deactivate the security, fast.

In a desperate gambit, Chat grabbed the scarf from his bed, whipped it over Gabriel’s eyes so he could steal the phone from his pocket. Unfortunately for him, his father didn’t need to see him to deliver a particularly forceful blow to Chat’s stomach, sending him sprawling back empty-handed.

Tossing the scarf aside, Gabriel loomed over his fallen prey. “I’m disappointed,” he drawled. “I thought you’d put up a better fight, considering how much I pay for your lessons.”

Adrien froze, eyes wide. That was all Gabriel needed to yank the ring from his finger. Instantly, the superhero façade faded and only his son remained: frightened, devastated, dumbstruck. For his part, not even Gabriel could keep up his poker face. His fist, clutching the Black Cat Miraculous, shook.

“I didn’t believe it could be true. I didn’t want to. If… If I had known, then maybe…” he let his sentence trail off.

“Father,” Adrien’s voice didn’t sound like his own. His life as Chat Noir had been fragile, and now it was over. Everything was over. Tears streaked down his cheeks. “Give back my ring. Please. I… I’m sorry for lying. It was too dangerous to say anything.” He gulped, swiping at his nose and trying to sound resolute. “Being Chat noir, saving people’s lives… I’ve learned so much outside of this house. I know you’re scared because of Mom. I know after she died it was never the same. But, please, don’t lock me up again. I’m sorry, Dad. I’m so sorry.”

Adrien buried his head in his hands and wept. He expected to hear yelling, or worse, cold reproach. But instead, his father began to quietly sob. “No, Adrien,” he said softly. “I’m sorry.”

Everything went black.

**Author's Note:**

> Two things:  
> 1\. Pretty sure Stoneheart takes place earlier in the year, near the beginning of the school year (August/September) but I've chosen to alter the timing a bit for the sake of the snowy aesthetic. Hope you all don't mind :)  
> 2\. Also, I know Mari gives Adrien a scarf during the Christmas special, but I'm using the same setup here because I think it's cute.
> 
> Not sure how long this fic will be, but thanks to all the amazing episodes we've been getting lately, I have plenty of motivation and ideas. Thanks for reading and see you all in the next chapter!


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